Leelanau County Clerk prepares for “very busy” Election Day, hopes for “smooth sailing”

From staff reports

Today we chat with Leelanau County Clerk Michelle Crocker, whose staff around the county will play a crucial role in counting votes—including a record-number of absentee, mail-in ballots—and making sure Election Day goes as smooth as possible next Tuesday, November 3. Crocker has been Leelanau’s county clerk since 1996. We asked her about those absentee ballots and how early they can be counted, and whether she expects “open-carry” advocates to disrupt the election, among other questions.

Glen Arbor Sun: What time on election day will ballots begin to be counted in Leelanau County? The time that polls close? Or can absentee ballots be counted earlier in the day?

Michelle Crocker: Several of our Townships utilize sequestered Absent Voter Counting Boards (AVCB), which will begin the process of tabulating ballots as early as 7 a.m. on Election Day; however, there will be no results until after 8 p.m. when the polls close. The Townships that will be utilizing AVCBs for this election are: Bingham, Centerville, Elmwood, Glen Arbor, Leelanau, Leland, Solon and Suttons Bay.

Three of our Townships, (Cleveland, Kasson, and Empire) as well as the annexed portion of Leelanau County (City of TC, Precinct #4) will be processing the Absentee Ballots throughout Election Day in the live precinct, also beginning as early as 7 a.m. There will be no totals prior to 8 p.m. when the polls close.

All Absentee Ballots must be received by the local Clerk on Election Day by 8 p.m., also everyone in line to vote at the precinct by 8 p.m. will be allowed to vote.

Sun: How many absentee ballots has the County received so far? How many do you expect to receive? And how does that compare with previous presidential elections?

Crocker: As of [Monday, October 26] 11,067 Absentee ballots have been requested by voters registered in Leelanau County and 8,618 have been returned to the local Clerks for processing on Election Day. The number is increasing daily. Leelanau County has always had engaged citizens in the voting process; however, this is a higher percentage request for Absentee Ballots than what we have previously seen. I think that we will still have a very high turnout, just most of the voting will be done via Absentee Ballots. 

Sun: How long do you expect it will take to count all the ballots? Might this last into Nov. 4 or 5?

Crocker: With tabulating starting and running all day, I would anticipate there may be some jurisdictions that could submit results as early 8:30 p.m. or even 9 p.m. – this will be provided that there are no issues. It is going to be a very busy day. It is possible that some results may not be in until midnight, but I am planning/hoping on smooth sailing.

Sun: In Glen Arbor in 2018, I have heard that the hand count and the machine count of absentee ballots were different. How do you rectify that situation? 

Crocker: I have no doubts that Glen Arbor will run very smoothly. The one thing that I do recall was from November 2018, when Glen Arbor accidentally erased the memory cards after they ran all of the totals tapes and were unable to upload the results through the secure method and instead had to call in the results. Two candidates results were mixed up in the delivery of information and once the information was received in my office, we were able to correct the tally. That is why it is very important to remember when we are releasing results on election night – they are unofficial until canvassed. Due to this occurrence, we will no longer take call-in totals. If something happens to a memory card, we will wait until the information is delivered to my office and work directly from the tape with a reader/checker process. 

The processing of Absentee Ballots is very process-driven. There are several procedural items that take place prior to starting the process — oaths of office, verifying seals, verifying the tabulator “tape”, etc.  Before any ballots are tabulated, the number of envelopes delivered to the AVCB are counted and compared to a listing from the Qualified Voter File. Before the workers go any further, these numbers must balance.  If the process is followed, there should be no problems.

Sun: Are you confident you have the election workers in place to count the ballots during this challenging election?

Crocker: I have done a lot of additional training over the past two weeks and everyone that the local Clerks have requested be trained for this election have been. So, yes I do feel confident that we have enough election workers in place.

Sun: How likely is it, do you think, that “open carry” advocates will make an appearance at a polling place in Leelanau County?

Crocker: It has never been an issue and I am hopeful that it will not be an issue. I think that people realize that it is not fair to put the Precinct Workers in that position as they just want to follow the process for administering good elections in a peaceful and safe environment.

Sun: Will local Leelanau County law enforcement be at polling places, or available on standby?

Crocker: The Clerks and the Precinct Workers know that if there is a situation that they cannot resolve and they believe law enforcement is needed, they should call 9-1-1 and someone will respond.

Sun: Any additional thoughts?

Crocker: Random information: If you have an absentee ballot and have voted it, please place it in the secrecy sleeve, then the outer envelope — which you will sign, date, and seal. You may want to consider hand delivering your ballot to your local clerk or the Township’s drop box.  It is appreciated if you do not hold the ballot until election day. All election workers, challengers, and poll watchers are required to wear masks in the Polling locations.  Although voters are not required to wear a mask, it is very much appreciated.

As always, do not hesitate to contact me or your local Clerk should you have any questions.